


Solace

by another_maggies



Series: Choni collection [7]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: #rolereversal, #supportivegirlfriends, Cheryl can be her rock too, F/F, Toni needs comfort, also motorcycle asthetic, and helmet sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 19:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14268393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/another_maggies/pseuds/another_maggies
Summary: Toni's hurt. Cheryl's there to help, even if that means crossing her own boundaries.





	Solace

**Author's Note:**

> Ellen suggested: Toni is upset about something but Cheryl is here so comfort her   
> Echoxknox suggested: Toni getting Cheryl to ride her bike for the first time/ excuse to have her girlfriend hug her from behind.

“No, thank you,” she declines, arms crossed firmly in front of her chest. No way in hell is she going to do this. She might have changed a lot for a certain pink haired serpent (and she doesn't intend to stop, by all means), but even Cheryl, _especially_ Cheryl, has her boundaries when it comes to reinventing herself.

“Oh, come on. It will be fun!” Toni's wearing a broad grin on her face as she pats the leather. She's certainly got a knack for the material. (Cheryl's been wearing her thigh high leather boots _a lot_ since she got them back).

The redhead shakes her head, adamant about her decision. “Despite my hellish angelic radiance my preferred method of transport requires four wheels. Besides, I favor Bob Dylan over AC/DC any given day.”

“Ouch!” A hurt expression appears on Toni's face and she puts her hand onto her chest in a dramatic fashion as if she's been shot.

Cheryl raises a perfect brow. “Shall I call you an ambulance?”

“Firefighters might be more appropriate for that sick burn,” her girlfriend retorts with a wink, “But something would be even better...” And again, she's patting the seat.

“No,” the Captain of the River Vixens repeats, her voice resounding with the intonation that accompanies all of the cheer squad's practices. “I'm not climbing on that deathtrap and that is my last word.”

Toni shrugs, more amused than annoyed. She swings her left leg over the seat, her grip on the handles firm. “Fine with me. Last to be home buys dinner!”  
“ _What_?! When did we agree on that?”

“Just now,” the young serpentine calls, hair flying in the wind as she leaves her pouting partner behind in the dust of her wheels.

 

* * *

 

 _Of course_ , Toni beats Cheryl to Thistle House. It's not that Cheryl doesn't enjoy driving fast (she does). It's that Toni enjoys driving faster. And it's also the fact that she's way more mobile on her bike than the ginger could ever be in her convertible. This is Riverdale, after all. No one will care when one young gang member cuts over sidewalks and the like.

She opens the front door, usually unlocked during the day when Cheryl's grandmother is at home with her caretaker. It's the one employee Cheryl is completely unwilling to let go of. (Not that Toni minds. She thinks it's endearing how much Cheryl cares for her nana).

“I'm home,” she calls out, making herself known. The lack of a response makes her think that they're probably out for a walk or something else. The new caretaker really is an upgrade from Penelope's pathetic way of putting on Annarose's favorite shows and leaving her with no way to get around for hours on end.

Toni hums as she tosses her keys on the nearest table and strips off her shoes. Home. There's nothing quite like it.

Her usual way leads her into the kitchen for a snack. She's not surprised to see new mail on one of the counters. The Maple Syrup business is actually way bigger than she imagined. (Okay, Cheryl might not have let go of all employees (and rightfully so), but they have _only_ one live-in now). What surprises Toni as she walks by the counter on her way to the fridge is the fact that there's three piles today, instead of the usual two. Which means she's got mail. Toni never gets mail.

Although her stomach is rumbling with hunger, the prospect of a letter addressed to her is too intriguing for her to ignore. She opens the letter, starts reading,

And then- just like that -her stomach drops and her world turns upside down.

 

* * *

 

Cheryl chooses to take her sweet time getting home. There is no way she's going to beat Toni anyway, so instead she chooses to get on her girlfriend's nerves, just like she had previously been plagued herself. It might be childish, but it is who they are.

The weather is nice today. A slow drive (but not too slow) with her hair flying in the wind makes for a pleasant change. (Toni will totally regret not getting a view of that).

Toni's bike is, _of course_ , parked right in front of Thistle House. When Cheryl commented on it once, Toni shrugged it off with an Emma Roberts worthy commentary: “It's such a long driveway.”

Although Cheryl rolls her eyes at the sight, she really loves this. Every reminder of the fact that Toni is now an integral part of her life is welcome. Even the keys, tossed carelessly on a table _clearly_ reserved for the vase standing on it, not for keys with questionable accessories (but seriously, where did that bird can opener thing come from?). Cheryl picks them up and puts them on the key rack, along with her own. Then, remembering she just arrived, calls: “I'm home!”

There's no response, which is odd. She was sure to see a head of pink hair pop out of the door leading towards the kitchen with a smug grin on her face, demanding kisses or something equally ridiculous as a reward for her self set challenge. But there's none of that.

“Toni?”

Still no response. The serpent has to be here, though. She never leaves without her keys, which, given the way her uncle has taken to lock her out of his trailer, is understandable (Cheryl would never lock her out, though).

The place Toni usually attacks right after arriving at home is the kitchen, so that's where Cheryl heads to look for her.

Her search is as short lived as successful: Toni is there.

Nothing unusual. But the way she's sitting with her back against the picture window and this... letter? … in her hands worries Cheryl. The expression on her face and the way her hands tremble slightly only adds to the sinking feeling settling in the redhead's stomach.

“Toni...?” She bows down, her knees touching the cold ground, as she reaches out to touch her girlfriend's shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Toni lifts her head, lip trembling and eyes watery with tears dreading to fall. “My mom, she...” The pink haired girl swallows, clearly struggling to finish whatever she wants to say. “She's dead.”

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure?,” Toni asks for the umpteenth time.

Cheryl nods for the thousandth time. “Positive.” Normally she'd say something like “let's hit it before I change my mind”. Not tonight. Tonight, she just climbs onto the machine and pats what's left of the seat other than what she's occupying herself. “Whatever you need.”

A bittersweet smile appears on Toni's face. She reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind her girlfriend's ear before putting a helmet on her head.

“Isn't that your helmet?,” Cheryl wonders as she readjusts the clasp beneath the chin to fit her.

Toni shrugs as she swings a leg over her ride. “It's not like I ever use it anyway.”

And even though the redhead's immediate reaction would be to chide Toni for her wayward ways, she keeps her mouth shut. Instead of giving an impromptu lecture on the dangers of motorcycles (the last powerpoint she created on the topic only made Toni criticize the dead drivers' choice of bike brands) Cheryl wraps her arms around her girlfriend's waist, tightly. Surrounded by leather she feels warm, and, surprisingly, not scared at all.

Toni looks back over her shoulder. “You ready, Bombshell?”

Against her back, the redhead nods. And that's all the pink haired girl needs.

 

* * *

 

“It's weird,” Toni announces to the dead of night.

“What is?,” Cheryl asks, one of her hands gently brushing through the smaller girl's long hair. It's a bit tangled from their ride.

Toni lifts her head so she can meet her girlfriend's eyes from where she's sitting between Cheryl's legs. “My mom.”

Cheryl doesn't say anything, her hand still untangling Toni's pink hair. Her eyes are firm on Toni's, an unspoken promise.

“I haven't seen her since I was... nine, I think? Maybe ten...” She waves her hand dismissively. The memories of her early childhood are nothing she enjoys digging up. “I never had the money to go visit her. Or I just didn't want to, I don't know...”

The lights of the town are distant, but visible from their spot at the deserted junkyard. Cheryl presses a kiss to Toni's crown and her hands move out of the hair to join the other, firmly wrapped around the pink haired serpent's waist. Much like they were during their wild ride through the night.

It's a night with a lot of silence.

“Do you regret it? Not going to see her,” Cheryl asks, eventually.

“I don't know, I... maybe.” Toni feels lost for words. It's frustrating, because there's no one she'd rather share what she's feeling with than the girl holding her close. So, she'll try, at least. “She wasn't a good mom. I mean, she wasn't terrible or anything. She just... didn't really care, I guess? But I never really knew whether that was her or the drugs.”

Toni inhales sharply. “I never really knew her, Cher.” The tears come before she can stop them.

She doesn't cry a lot. Not ever, really. She stopped crying when she watched her mom getting dragged out of their flat wearing nothing but underwear, mismatched socks and handcuffs. In a world like Toni's there's no place for tears. _In unity there's strength_. Not in singling yourself out as the whiny little girl, who cries because she didn't pay attention and let a ghoulie cut her. A serpent knows no pain, and that's all there is to it.

It's different with Cheryl. Toni can cry with her when she's sad. Toni can cry for her when she's hurting. Toni can cry in front of her when she's upset. It doesn't matter. Cheryl won't look at her differently for showing vulnerability. Cheryl just holds her like this. Occasionally she'll brush a hand down Toni's arm, or press a kiss to her hair. With Cheryl crying is warm, safe. It's easy to cry with her.

“Cheryl?” Toni whispers, quite a while later. The air's getting colder by the minute. She feels warm.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Toni.”

She sighs. The city is getting darker as more and more people turn off their lights. It really isn't New York.

“I think we should head home,” Toni announces.

 

* * *

 

Cheryl's arms cling to Toni's waist, her cheek pressed against her girlfriend's shoulder. She insisted Toni should wear the helmet this time. Her hair is flying in the wind, much more than it did previously, when she was driving in her car.

Toni's grip on the handles remains sturdy, her gaze fixed on the street. She's terribly aware of her girlfriend's arms around her waist, and frighteningly mindful of the fact that Cheryl's not wearing a helmet. Her heart is racing, but not as much as it did before, when she opened the letter.

Somehow, it doesn't hurt as much, knowing that her mother's gone. It doesn't hurt as much, because if her mother hadn't left her the way she did, she would have never ended up in Riverdale and therefore, never would have met the red haired bombshell, whom she couldn't imagine a life without now.

Maybe, things do happen for a reason. And maybe Toni's reason is Cheryl. Maybe.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise bitch, I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me? ;'D  
> Uni's back on, which is a pity, however I still feel in-choni-spired for more stuff!  
> If somebody gets all the references, hit me up. It's time to get married. :'D


End file.
